Game review: 'Skulls of the Shogun' a battle of life and death

As General Akamoto, players recruit undead warriors to aid their quest for revenge.

Turn-based strategy video games aren't exactly all the rage right now, but developer 17-Bit's latest offering is the perfect jumping-off point for genre newcomers.

"Skulls of the Shogun" ($15; Xbox 360) boasts accessibility and charm aplenty. It's an easy game to pick up and play, with enough unit variety and depth to merit more than a cursory glance.

General Akamoto has never met his equal on the battlefield. But as the last of his enemies fall before him, a cowardly figure cuts the fearsome samurai down from behind, sending him to join the ranks of other ronin who have perished.

Even death, however, won't keep the enraged Akamoto from defending his honor.

Consuming the skulls of fallen skeletons transforms an ordinary unit, seen at left, into a powerful demon.

The general must battle his way through the afterlife's ghostly guardians to exact revenge and claim the title of Shogun of the Dead.

The single-player campaign is broken up into five pieces: a brief march to breach the gates of the afterlife that serves as the tutorial, followed by sections representing each of the four seasons. As Akamoto progresses, his combat prowess convinces other undead fighters to join his noble cause.

From the rubicund petals of springtime cherry blossoms to the sickly green skeletons of the enemy's ranks, "Skulls of the Shogun" offers crisp, beautiful animation. Humor is also a major selling point, as copious pop-culture references fit the lighthearted tone.

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One regrettable departure from this is an opposing general who shouts nonsensical insults meant to rhyme with jarringly vulgar phrases.

Unit types are fairly standard. There are swift cavalry riders, long-range archers and cost-efficient infantry soldiers, who offset sluggish movement with a strong defense rating. Akamoto himself is a fearless killing machine, but use caution when sending him into the fray. Like the king in a chess match, an army is destroyed when its general falls.

Battles occasionally task players with moving Akamoto safely to an objective, but you will most often find yourself locked in a simple head-to-head showdown. Players can gain resources by haunting rice paddies, and spend them at shrines to recruit new units. Haunting other shrines will grant your army monks, who use powerful magic to deal damage or heal friendly soldiers.

When an enemy skeleton is defeated, his skull drops to the ground. Eating skulls replenishes health and boosts maximum hit points, and any unit who devours three becomes a rampaging demon, capable of carrying out multiple orders in a single turn. Monks also earn new spells with each skull consumed, though it's a shame there aren't similar ability boosts for standard troops.

Success demands having no wasted actions. Correctly deciding which resources to capture, where to strike and when to bring Akamoto to the front lines can be the key to victory. Environmental attacks, such as pushing foes into thorn bushes for extra damage or killing them outright by knocking them off a cliff, demand that players remain constantly aware of their surroundings.

That said, the enemy AI, especially in the first half of the game, leaves a lot to be desired. Even in battles where the tide turned hopelessly against me, I was still able to eke out victory by sending my remaining troops on a mad rush at my foe's unguarded general.

While the campaign loses its spark all too quickly, online and local multiplayer modes keep the action alive. Up to four players can face off. Against other humans, the action is quick, compelling and addictive.

The strength of its online community will eventually determine whether "Skulls of the Shogun" is simply worth a look for curiosity's sake or a reliable contender for the long haul.

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